Scotland Is Making Period Products Free For Students And Get With The Times England

Although our battle against period tax and the efforts to banish period poverty forever are never ending, sometimes it can feel like our government isn't exactly helping the fight. Don't even get us started on the list of MPs voting to keep tampons classified as a luxury item. Louboutins, yeah they're luxury. Sanitary towels, not so much.

So when Scotland announced a new policy making it the first country in the world to offer free period products to students at all schools, colleges and universities, we gave a collective 'YASSS' to the system finally stepping up.

Declared just a couple of days ago, the £5.2 million policy intends to promote equal access to sanitary products and help prevent disruption to education for all 395,000 students.

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And it couldn't have come at a more crucial time.

A recent survey by Young Scot found that one in four of respondents struggle to pay for sanitary products. For Scotland’s nearly 400,000 women and girls in the school system, these instances of 'period poverty' contribute to missed classes and challenges at school. Research by Women For Independence further confirmed these claims, with one in five women finding themselves unable to afford sanitary products, instead often resorting to using toilet roll or old clothes instead.

'In a country as rich as Scotland it’s unacceptable that anyone should struggle to buy basic sanitary product,' communications secretary Aileen Campbell told The Guardian. 'I am proud that Scotland is taking this world-leading action to fight period poverty. I welcome the support of local authorities, colleges and universities in implementing this initiative.'

Moving forward, Scotland aims to provide free sanitary products for all women, not just students.

The question is, if Scotland can do it, why not us? Time to step up England.

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